Having a Pet Gerbil in Your Home-The Pros & Cons

Are you thinking about getting a gerbil as a pet? If so, you need to learn all you can about these animals, before heading out to the store, to determine if they are ideal for your family. There are a number of reasons why a gerbil could make a wonderful pet for your household. There are also reasons why you might want to pass on them.

Gerbils tend to be energetic in the daytime (good playtime), very easy to look after, clean, curious and extremely friendly. They don't require a very large space and their living places are easy to put together and maintain. As a result, gerbils are probably one of the best animals to maintain as domestic pets especially indoor ones.

Here are some of the advantages of having a pet gerbil.

Gerbils are generally playful, extremely inquisitive and will be fun to sit and watch. They are usually wide awake and more energetic during the day which will make playing with them or just watching them easier. They are friendly and appear to like to play with humans. They are clean and normally won't try to hide so you can let them loose in the house without too much worry.

You will not be bothered with certain odors as you would with other rodents. Since they are originally from the desert you will discover that they will drink less water, which means a lot less waste to clean up. Considering that you will not get strong odors or need to deal with much waste, it's possible to clean their home every two weeks rather than daily like some pets.

Their food needs are fairly simple and inexpensive. They don't eat a lot or drink a lot so taking care of them is a rather simple matter.

They are reasonably inexpensive to buy and their living needs won't break the bank. Many times you can find someone who has outgrown or just grown tired of them and will give them to you.

Some reasons why you should not consider a gerbil for a pet.

You will not find many disadvantages in having these animals as pets. But, the following are some things that you need to be aware of.

Gerbils have a lot of energy and if you have a wheel in their cage keep it well greased as I can tell you from experience, a squeaky one will drive you crazy as they could be on it anytime of the day or night. Luckily they usually sleep most of the night but you might want to disable it just in case.

The females must never be kept in larger groups because this could lead to fights. They will function best in pairs, so if you cannot find two compatible ones it is advised to use a split cage.

It is not advised to pick them up by their tail, mainly because this is a delicate area on their body and the tail could easily break off. For this reason, it's important that everyone in the family learn about the correct way to hold a gerbil.

You can find them easily at most pet stores, but ensure that you select the ones which seem alert and curious, as well as have clear eyes and nose.

As you can see it appears the pros out weigh the cons when it comes down to determining whether or not a gerbil will be a good pet. They are great first pets for children especially if space is a little tight. When using them to teach kids responsibility, a slip up occasionally is not a huge problem because pet gerbil wants and needs are so easily taken care of.